Prosecutors in Asturias are recommending over 242 combined years in prison for 12 men accused of running a child-prostitution and sexual-assault ring in Oviedo (Asturias).
The crimes occurred between summer 2023 and March 2024. The investigation confirmed six victims, all girls aged 13 to 17 living in state protection centres; the gang took advantage of the desperation of the girls after they ran away from the centres.
The main ringleader (born in Mali in 1983) lured runaway teens to his home and arranged paid, sexual encounters with adult men in exchange for money or drugs. Several suspects used physical violence and supplied narcotics to the victims.
It was staff at the state, care facilities who uncovered the abuse after noticing the teenagers returning with unexplained cash.
The individual prison requests reflect the varying degrees of participation of the twelve defendants, who were born between 1980 and 2003 and are originally from Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Guinea, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.
One of the defendants (who is not the main ringleader) faces 47 years in prison for three counts of sexual assault of a minor under 16, continued facilitation of prostitution, drug trafficking, and membership in a criminal group. The actual main ringleader faces 30 years of imprisonment, while other defendants face recommendations of 30, 27, and 26 years.
The two defendants with the least involvement face nine years in prison each. Likewise, the prosecutor is demanding restraining orders of up to thirteen years, supervised release, and compensation for the victims ranging between 1,000 and 10,000 euros.
Unfortunately, during the initial police investigation, only one of the twelve suspects was placed in pre-trial detention, while ten remained free and one fled the country.
Editorial comment: Send them to do their full time in the prisons in their own countrie, which won’t be as cushy as in Spain. Better still, off with their pods!
(News: Oviedo, Asturias)
Keywords: Minors Care Home, Young Girls, Child-Explotation Ring, Public Prosecutors
news, asturias, oviedo, minors care home, young girls, child-explotation ring, public prosecutors